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Since America celebrated its 250th birthday last weekend, many people have been reflecting on what it means to be an American. That got us wondering…
This week, we asked readers: What does patriotism mean to you today?
Here’s what they had to say…
“To me being an American Patriot begins with love of country and its democratic values. You must know our history and pledge allegiance to the nation’s founding father’s ideals. Finally, work to improve the country and your local communities.” — Josh Rhoderick
“In today’s reality, this nation has a lot about it that no rational human being should love. Robert De Niro has outlined that eloquently enough. So, in my view, patriotism has changed from loving your country somewhat blindly to a more basic meaning of the word. Having lived abroad for work for 11 years, we became very aware of the label expatriate. It simply means a person living outside their country of citizenship, but in our idealized use of the term, there is often an implication that someone loves their country less. To the point, I propose that being a patriot today simply means tolerating the deterioration of our country to the extent that we still choose to live here. Simply put, an expatriate lives abroad, while a patriot is a citizen who lives in their home country.” — Tom Chew
“Benjamin Franklin’s remark, ‘A republic, ma’am, if you can keep it,’ resonates today more than ever. Patriotism means not only being an informed voter but also taking action to protect and defend our Constitution and the rule of law. We need to speak up when those entrusted to serve in government make moves that violate First Amendment rights, pull funding from university labs seeking cures that promote the general welfare, pressure members of Congress, or attempt to take control of elections from the states.” — Diane Gioseffi
“To me, patriotism means doing whatever I can to make my country the best it can be. Voting, peaceful demonstration, talking with friends and neighbors about common problems and how best to solve them, and writing to our legislative representatives.These are all ways that I think I can be patriotic. I love my country, and I will stick with it and work to make it better in good times and bad.” —JoAnn Carlson
